Welcome to this week’s Musical Musings.
New single from Tamara Stewart
For country music recording artist Tamara Stewart, Mooroopna will always be home.
Now living in Nashville in the United States, which she has called home since 2014, Stewart has just released a new single, Mean Girl, with a new album due in April.
“I'm so excited to get these songs out into the world,” Stewart told me last week.
“I recorded it in Nashville at House of Blues Studios, and it’s a piece of work I’m really proud of.
“It's called Woman and is very raw, real and honest.
“This project was such a labour of love.
“I love sitting in the producer seat and have produced my own albums for most of my career — to get to do that now in Nashville is such a fulfilling experience.”
Stewart has come a long way from her early days growing up in the region and pursuing her musical path with her band, Tammi Sloper and 1st Edition. The hard work paid off when she finally signed her first record deal at 24.
“The first time I ever sang in public I was about 12 at the Shepparton Civic Centre,” Stewart said.
“I did a few musical productions as a student at Mooroopna High School and had my own band and playing shows from the age of 13.
“I would attend high school all week long then do band rehearsals every Thursday in the Ardmona Cannery canteen hall.
“And while my friends were off at parties and down the river on the weekends, I was doing gigs.
“As the girl singer fronting the band, we played pubs, clubs, weddings, debutante balls, doing four-hour gigs.
“Those gigs are where I really to learned to play guitar and started to develop confidence to connect with audiences.”
This month, Stewart embarks on a tour of the UK and Ireland and has plans for the tour to eventually take in some Australian dates, including a hometown show.
“I would love to come home and play a show in Shepparton,” she said.
“I was home just before Christmas, this last December, to see family, and I always love getting back to the GV and always do a drive around to all my special places.
“So, I am well overdue to play a show in Australia, and especially in the GV.”
Live review: Sting
Last Thursday evening, I caught Sting’s show at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Previously in the country in 2016 for the AFL Grand Final, Sting returned for the Australian leg of his My Songs world tour. His show saw the 71-year-old offer up a jukebox of his hits, covering his entire career from The Police to his solo outings.
After a short and sweet opening set by Sting’s son Joe Sumner, who was joined by Something for Kate’s Paul Dempsey on closer Hope, Sting hit the stage to the deafening, rapturous applause of the fully packed seated arena. From the moment he kicked off proceedings with Message In A Bottle, the audience members were up on their feet, and for the next 100 minutes, remained in Sting’s hands. Still commanding a powerful vocal range and having lost none of his charismatic stage presence and youthful energetic vigour, he paced the stage from side to side, entertaining and performing a set that was a trip down memory lane.
After the back-to-back of Englishman In New York and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Sting dropped the tempo, took a seat and in a more intimate mode, performed three new tracks – If It’s Love, Loving You and Rushing Water, all off his most recent album, 2021’s The Bridge. Then the familiar favourites returned in all their splendour: Fields Of Gold, Wrapped Around My Finger, Walking On The Moon and So Lonely, which saw the arena crowd singing loudly along.
King Of Pain, saw Sting’s son join his father for a duet before the timeless classic Every Breath You Take closed the show on a high. But the crowd wanted more, and Sting returned, teasing the crowd by asking, “What song should I play next?” before the stabbing opening chords of Roxanne whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Again, taking his seat, he moved to classical guitar and played the poignant finale, Fragile, which closed the show superbly.
Age has not slowed nor troubled Sting, and the show affirmed without question his status as a music icon of our time.
Fun fact
Did you know that iconic ’70s Australian rock group Skyhooks frequently played Shepparton over the course of the group’s existence? There were shows in March and December 1975, September 1976, April 1977, February 1979, October 1984 and November 1990. Venues included the Civic Centre and GV Hotel.
Readers can send feedback, suggestions, or stories to: MusicalMusings@mmg.com.au
Until next time, keep rockin’.